Excommunication and Shunning Members of the Church

PO Box 128, 575 State Route 250 N, Savannah OH 44874
Office: (419) 962-1515
January 2011
Excommunication and Shunning Members of the Church
—Joe Keim
Warning! Before you read the following article, I would like to say a few things:

A few will read the this article and become upset, possibly even angry.

Others will read this with an open
mind, consider what is being said and
possibly even be blessed by it.
Division between
Jacob Amman and Hans Reist
After years of banning and excommunicating nearly half of all Mennonites, some
calmer heads began to reason with Jacob
Amman. After much soul searching, and
considering of the consequences that he had
caused within the Mennonite church, Jacob
Amman and some of his leaders decided to
try to rejoin the mainstream Mennonite
church.
Having said that, can I urge you to consider
two very important thoughts before you react?


I could very well be wrong on some
interpretations of Scripture and am
willing to be challenged with your
views and understanding of excommunication and shunning.
In order to show repentance, Jacob Amman
excommunicated himself and his leaders. In
1699, and again in 1700, Amman tried to
rejoin the Mennonites. The Mennonites felt
it was not possible, since there would always be differences and separation by doctrine and interpretation of scripture and
traditions.
Let’s not forget that in the end, God
has the last word — not me or you.
And because God has the last word, we
will be much further ahead IF we base
our views and understanding of excommunication and shunning on His Word;
not ours.
Excommunication and shunning, as most of
us know, was one of the main reasons why
Jacob Amman split away from the Mennonites in late 1600’s. In fact, let’s visit parts of
that history before we get into our main
study today.
Reist's followers, excommunicated Reist and
his leaders, causing a shock throughout all
of the Mennonite communities in Western
Europe. Jacob Amman was causing divisions
within the Mennonite church.
The year was 1690, and two men, who were
leaders in the Mennonite Church, began to
struggle over some religious practices that
were taking place in the church. Their
names were Hans Reist and Jacob Amman.
In 1693, Amman, in a confrontation with
Some Facts On Jacob Amman
 Jacob Amman had excommunicated
over half of the Mennonites.
 The Mennonites excommunicated
Jacob Amman
 And finally, Jacob Amman excommunicated himself from his own group.
 Jacob Amman, spiritual leader and
founder of the Amish faith, died while
he was still excommunicated from the
Mennonites.
The Amish Voice
Is Excommunication and
Shunning Biblical?
This question is answered in one of three
ways, depending on who you ask. View #1
and #2, as outlined below, are extreme opposites, however, view #3 describes a more balanced Biblical view. Let’s take a close look at
all three views.
____________________________________
View #1
____________________________________
the Bible. Therefore, if the church member
and his/her shameful sin are allowed to remain in the church, it will spread throughout
the whole membership. If the church continues to accept the person who is living in open
sin, others will begin to feel that they, too,
can be acceptable even if they sin. If there is
no restraint upon sin, then sin will grow. If sin
is accepted, then sin, not righteousness, rules.
Note what Scripture says: it takes only a little
leaven, not much, for sin to grow. Accepting
just one member who lives in sin will cause
others to begin living worldly and sinful lives.
To the church, living and practicing under
There are churches who turn a blind eye toView #1, may I remind you, the Bible has
ward Scriptures that teach excommunication
some clear words written for you.
and shunning. In fact, if the pastor or church
elders, I am about to describe, would so much
Purge out therefore the old leaven,
as dare use discipline on one of their memthat ye may be a new lump, as ye are
bers, they would loose half of their memberunleavened… 1 Cor 5:6
ship; maybe even get sued.
May I also remind you what happened to
In the case of this view, church discipline is a Achan in the Old Testament? Joshua informed
phrase that no one dare speak, not even in the Children of Israel in Joshua 6:18, “do not
the most sinful of situations.
take anything from the City of Jericho or you
Besides that, it is often much easier for the will bring a curse on the whole camp.”
troublemaker to uproot and move on to another church in the area. After leaving the Achan got sticky fingers, and when he saw
first church and attending the new one for some gold and silver shekels, he picked them
awhile, they stir up more trouble, and eventually, they do it all over again; they move on to
the next church.
These troublemakers are never at one church
long enough to become established and usable in ministry. And secondly, the new church,
in which the troublemaker has just joined, is
so disconnected from all other churches in
the area, that no one is aware of what happened at the previous church.
The Bible is very clear, when the church allows a little bit of sin to dwell in the camp, it
will eventually effect everybody. It is just like
cancer, if left unattended, you can bet, it will
destroy your whole body.
…know ye not that a little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump? 1 Cor 5:6
The point is this: the church must wake up
and learn something. Leaven is a type of sin in
up and hid them in his tent. He probably
thought to himself, I will never get caught and
no one will ever know. However, he forgot
that the Lord was watching.
When God handed out the blame for Achan’s
sin, He did not ONLY blame Achan, He blamed
ALL the children of Israel. Look what God
says:
But the children of Israel committed a
trespass in the accursed thing: for
Achan...took of the accursed thing:
and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
Joshua 7:1

How many people got blamed for one
man’s sin? Everybody.

How many people did the Lord God
become angry at over one man’s sin?
Everybody.
God got angry at every single person in the
camp; even those who were completely in the
dark and unaware of Achan’s sin. Verse 5 tells
us that because of Achan’s sin, thirty six men
died.
When the thirty six men died, Joshua and the
elders of Israel rent their clothes, put dust on
their heads and fell on their faces before God.
Notice how God responds to Joshua and the
Elders of Israel.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get
thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and
they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for
they have even taken of the accursed
thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it
even among their own stuff. Therefore
the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies, but turned their
backs before their enemies, because
they were accursed: neither will I be
with you any more, except ye destroy
the accursed from among you.
—Joshua 7:10-12
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One man’s sin caused thirty six innocent
men to die! Truly, it makes a person wonder how many innocent church members
are suffering severe consequences because
nothing is being done to purge out the sin
that has sprung up with in the camp.
And, might I add; maybe that is why we see
so little power in many of the main stream
churches today. And maybe, just maybe,
that is why we see so many of our prayers
go unanswered. These are just some honest
questions we should ask ourselves.
Something else to consider; is it possible
that many churches fall under the judgment
that Christ spoke of in Revelation 3?
And unto the angel of the church of
the Laodiceans write; … I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor
hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So
then because thou art lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spue
*vomit+ thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that
thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked: I
counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest
be clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door *of the
church+, and knock: if any man hear
my voice, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me.
—Revelation 3:14-20
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View #2
___________________________________
the rules and regulations that have been set
forth by the leadership of the church. And,
once that member has been excommunicated from the church, they become a marked
person. From that point on, they are noted
and shunned, not only by their home
church, but also by most of the other
churches in the area. And unless that person comes back to the same church that
excommunicated him/her, the ban will not
be lifted.
from now on I don't want you to use any
more power tools, including the chain saw,
power drill and air nailer. Suppose that I
would come to you a second time and say,
John, from now on you are only allowed to
wear certain colors of clothing; your shirt
can only have three buttons in the front, no
lay down collar, and no short sleeves.

Kerosene lanterns on your buggy are
ok, but no battery operated blinking
lights.
Over the years, there have been some extreme cases where certain members in these churches have taken their own lives, because they saw no way out of their emotional and mental misery. Their thinking has
been described in the following ways:

Phone shanty on the corner of your
property is ok, but mind you, no
phone in the house.

You must shave your mustache off,
however, the beard must go uncut.
1.
If I leave the church, I will be excommunicated and shunned by my own family and
friends. And, at the end of my life, God will
cast me into hell, as payment for having opposing views and understandings of the
church and it’s rules.

A couch in the living room is allowable, but it is against the rules to have
a back or arm rests on the side.

Running the washing machine with a
gasoline engine is acceptable, but to
do so with electricity is wrong.
2.
If I continue to live my life within the church
and it’s strict guidelines, my days will continue to look dark and bleak. So much so that
the only way out; the only relief is to take
my life.
One man might argue, but these rules
are nothing more then little fences
that keep us from loosing control and
breaking God’s commandments.
Three Questions to Consider
A good follow-up question might be,
“so you don't believe that the rules will
get you to heaven?”
1.
Does God give the leaders of the church
full rights to establish any rule and regulation they want, and then force it on
the members of the church?
2.
Does God, under any circumstances,
allow church leaders the right to turn a
member over to Satan and shun him or
her for breaking a man-made rule?
3.
Is there a difference between a manmade rule, such as, “Thou shalt not drive
a car” and a God made rule, such as,
“Thou shalt not commit adultery?”
In our second view, I would like to take a
look at some of the practices and views of
another type of churches. They are in fact
quite opposite of the view we just covered.
Surely every reader of this article would
agree that God’s rules, if broken, will carry
consequences.
The churches in our second view, use Scriptures, such as Matthew 18:17, I Corinthians
5, and I Timothy 1:20 to put the fear of God
into anyone who would dare to go against
But what about man made rules? What if
they are broken? Does God care? For instance, suppose I was an elder of the church
and one day I came to you and said, John,
Another might respond, “well, I don't
actually believe that keeping our man
made rules will get us to heaven.”
No, he would answer.
What happens if one of the members
refuses to keep the rules?”
In my lifetime and experience, the popular response would be, “well, then we
as a church would have to take action.
And if things did not turn around, we
would need to eventually excommunicate and shun that member.”
Excommunicate that member for what? For
breaking a man made rule?
Until just a couple years ago, I did not realize
it so much, but that kind of mind set is very
similar to what was happening in the Jewish
culture, during Jesus’ time. Please allow me
to explain.
The Jewish leaders created thousands of
little fences in order to keep their people
from breaking God’s commandments. And
The Amish Voice
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in time, those little fences became more
important than anything God ever said. In
fact, Jesus clearly said to them, “...ye reject
the commandment of God, that ye may keep
your own tradition.” Let’s read the whole
passage.
For laying aside the commandment
of God, ye hold the tradition of men,
as the washing of pots and cups:
and many other such like things ye
do. And He said unto them, Full well
ye reject the commandment of God,
that ye may keep your own tradition. —Mark 7:8-9
We can read throughout the gospels and the
book of Acts that these man-made fences
would, in time, become the very reason why
Jesus and the Apostles got excommunicated
and shunned from the synagogues. In fact,
these fences eventually became the very
cause for why they died on crosses, got beheaded, were dipped in boiling oil and cast
into the rivers.
Jesus had told His followers…
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth
God service. —John 16:2
How desperately sad, that these leaders,
who should have been studying and preaching God’s Word, turned on their own flock
and cast them out of their fellowship; not
because they broke the commandments of
God, but because they broke their own manmade rules.
Consider what happened in the situation,
following this paragraph. Jesus is standing in
front of Pilate with a crown of thorns on His
head. He is being accused by His own people, who want Him dead! Notice particularly
the part of the verse that is underlined.
When the chief priests *leaders of the
synagogues+ therefore and officers saw
Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him,
Crucify Him. Pilate saith unto them,
Take ye Him, and Crucify Him: for I find
no fault in Him. The Jews answered
him, We have a law, and by our law He
ought to die… —John 19:6-7
In a nut shell, this is what they said; we *the
synagogue+ have our own set of rules; this
man, Jesus Christ, does not measure up to
those rules! Therefore, we want Him dead!
Questions:
1.
Would Jesus measure up to our church
standards today?
2.
What would happen if He attended our
services next Sunday, and at the end of
the sermon, He started healing people?
3.
Would He be allowed to preach in our
church services, even if He was not chosen in a lot?
Chances are, if Jesus Christ came to church
and was not dressed plainly or have His hair
cut a certain way, He would be put in a
different category immediately.
The church people might even start saying
and hearing things like, look! He came to
church without a hat! His suspenders are
made out of elastic instead of denim. He’s
wearing a mustache! Oh, and did you hear
what His name is? He claims to go by the
name Jesus, and you know as well as I do,
that is not a common name. My, how
worldly! If He thinks that He will become
part of this church, He’s going to have to
change His name to a more simple one, such
as Eli or Atlee.
So when does it become right to excommunicate and shun a member of the church?
___________________________________
View #3
___________________________________
One thing is for sure, where there are people, there is sin and disagreement. It is
bound to happen! Someone once said, if
you do find a perfect church, don't join it,
because the moment you join it, it will become imperfect.
To point fingers at another church member
too quickly, is to forget the true statement
that says, but for the grace of God, there go I.
Oh, you may not have a problem with lusting
and you may never have come close to committing adultery, but possibly you have other
problems, such as anger and bitterness.
Every person on the face of this planet has at
least several weaknesses and if at the right
time and at the right place, you will break
every single time.
And why beholdest thou the mote
*speck+ that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam *plank+ that is
in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say
to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote
out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is
in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
—Matthew 7:3-5
Most of us would be wise to read and study
the previous passage before we take any
action at all. However, there are those times
when a born again member in the church
makes some very poor choices and get’s
tangled up in a sin, such as the ones we read
about in Galatians 5:19-21 and a few other
places in the New testament.
When that happens, I truly believe that we
have to ask ourselves two questions before
we as a church do anything with the erring
member.
1st: Was this a one time sin or has it happened many, many times?
2nd: Has the person showed true sorrow for
the sin which was committed, or is he or
she filled with pride and doesn’t care?
Let’s just say that the person is truly sorry for
the sin they committed. Note: True and complete sorrow cannot be faked. True repentance is so visible that you would have a hard
time missing it.
What should the church do?
They have a member who has sinned a
terrible sin, maybe it happened once
and maybe it happened several times,
however, the truth is, the sinning
church member is very broken over his/
her sin. S/he has wept bitterly and
asked God and the church for forgiveness.
What should the church do?
Should they immediately forgive and
forget? Should they forgive and still
put the person through a period of
excommunication and shunning?
Before either one of us answers that question, let’s turn to the following Scripture passage for our answer:
And the scribes and Pharisees brought
unto him a woman taken in adultery;
and when they had set her in the
midst, They say unto him, Master, this
woman was taken in adultery, in the
very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be
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stoned: but what sayest thou? —John
8:3-5
Dear friend, this woman was caught in the
very act of adultery. And, oh did the power
hungry church leaders come alive. In fact,
they shouted for all to hear: Moses commanded us to stone people like this!
By the way, I should point out that this
woman was most likely a member of the
Jewish synagogue. One thing is for sure, she
was considered by the leaders as one who
should be living under the law of Moses.
Let us now turn and see how the Lord Jesus
handled the matter.
…Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he
heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he
lifted up himself, and said unto them, he
that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her. And again He
stooped down, and wrote on the
ground. And they which heard it, being
convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest,
even unto the last: and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the
midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and
saw none but the woman, he said unto
her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said
unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go,
and sin no more. —John 8:6-11
gogue to excommunicate and shun you for
six weeks. During that time, we as members
are going to watch you very closely to see if
you are really serious about your sorrow
and repentant heart.
*STEP 3+ And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it unto the church: but if he
neglect to hear the church, let him
be unto thee as an heathen man and
a publican. —Mat 18:15-17
Two
Wow! Could Jesus have made it any plainer
then that? Three very clear steps in dealing
with a sinning church member. Notice too,
it is not until the last step in Jesus’ outline
that you take the sinful situation to the
whole church. And if I understand Jesus
correctly, it is only then that the church excommunicates and shuns the unrepentant
sinner.
Jesus did not condemn, or for that matter,
even question her. What He did do is give
the sinning woman a second chance.
Aren’t you glad that we serve a God of second chances? But wait, our heavenly Father, according to the next Scripture passage, is about giving the sinner who repents
many chances.
And if he trespass
against thee seven
times in a day, and
seven times in a day
turn again to thee,
saying, I repent; thou
shalt forgive him. —
Luke 17:4
Let’s say that you caught
a church member in the
very act of sinning a
great sin, similar to the one that we just
read about in John chapter 8. And let’s pretend also that, at this point, no one else in
the church is aware of anything that happened. Just you and the sinning church
member are the only ones that know. What
should you do?

Should you run and tell it to the leaders of the church?

Should you start gossiping all over the
neighborhood, letting everybody
know what so and so is into?

Should you forgive and tell no one
about what you just witnessed?
Let’s again consider the words of our Lord
Jesus, as He sets some clear guidelines concerning these very questions.
Notice, there are three steps, that according
to Jesus, you should take in dealing with the
sinning church member.
There are two things I would like to point
out about the actions that Jesus took in the
passage of Scripture we just read.
One
Jesus did not say, “woman, because of your
sinful behavior, I am going to ask the syna-
*STEP 1+ Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his
fault between thee and him alone: if
he shall hear thee, thou hast gained
thy brother.
*STEP 2+ But if he will not hear thee, then
take with thee one or two more, that
in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Let’s please ask ourselves another question:
according to Jesus in Matthew 18, would
excommunication and shunning have been
necessary if the sinning member had repented on step 1? Step 2? How the about step 3?
The answer should be obvious, but just in
case it isn't, according to Jesus’ own words,
the sinner should not be excommunicated
and treated as an unbeliever until all three
steps have been completed and the sinner
has still not shown any sign of sorrow or
repentance. And, might I remind us all, it
never works to do *STEP TWO AND THREE+
before *STEP ONE+, such as happens in many
of the plain churches. Not only does it not
work, it is not how God intended it to be.
In ending, I would like to challenge us both
with two simple questions:
Is there a difference between manmade rules and God-made rules? Or do
they, if broken, carry the same level of
punishment?
Is it ever, under any circumstance Biblical to excommunicate and shun members for breaking a man-made rule?
————End of Article————
Written by Joe Keim for the Amish Voice
The Amish Voice
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Our Eyes: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Do you realize that without our eyes you
would not be reading this now? Without
our eyes you would be unable to see any of
God’s creation. Psalms 19:1 says:
The heavens declare the glory of God
and the firmament showeth His
handiwork.
God shows Himself to us, in part, by what
we see.
Your eyes work all the time they are open. It
may seem automatic to you and I, but there
is a lot that goes on in your eyes that you
would miss if you lost them. They take in
lots of information — shapes, colors, movements, and more. Then they send the information to your brain, so the brain knows
what's going on outside of your body.
The eyelid protects the eye without you
thinking about it. When you step into bright
light, the eyelids squeeze together tightly to
protect your eyes until they can adjust to
the light. And if you move your fingers close
(but not too close!) to your friend's eyes,
they will blink. Your friend's eyelids shut
automatically to protect the eye from possible danger. Also don't forget eyelashes. They
work with the eyelids to keep dirt and other
unwanted stuff out of your eyes.
The white part of the eyeball is called the
sclera (say: sklair-uh). The sclera is made of a
tough material and has the important job of
covering most of the eyeball.
Think of the sclera as your eyeball's outer
coat. Look very closely at the white of the
eye, and you'll see lines that look like tiny
pink threads. These are blood vessels, the
tiny tubes that deliver blood, to the sclera.
The pupil is the black circle in the center of
the iris, which is really an opening in the iris,
and it lets light enter the eye. To see how
this works, use a small flashlight to see how
your eyes or a friend's eyes respond to
changes in brightness. The pupils will get
smaller when the light shines near them and
they'll open wider when the light is gone.
These next parts are really cool, but you
can't see them with your own eyes! Doctors
use special microscopes to look at these
inner parts of the eye, such as the lens. After
light enters the pupil, it hits the lens. The
lens sits behind the iris and is clear and colorless. The lens' job is to focus light rays on
the back of the eyeball — a part called the
retina (say: ret-i-nuh).
The retina uses special cells called rods and
cones to process light. Just how many rods
and cones does your retina have?
Answer: We each have about 120 million
rods and 7 million cones — in each eye!
Think of the optic nerve as the great messenger in the back of your eye. The rods and
cones of the retina change the colors and
shapes you see into millions of nerve messages. Then, the optic nerve carries those
messages from the eye to the brain! The
optic nerve serves as a high-speed telephone line connecting the eye to the brain.
When you see an image, your eye
"telephones" your brain with a report on
what you are seeing so the brain can translate that report into "cat," "apple," or
"bicycle," or whatever it is you see.
The eye has its own special bathing system
— tears! Above the outer corner of each eye
are glands, which make tears. Every time
you blink your eye, a tiny bit of tear fluid
comes out of your upper eyelid. It helps
wash away germs, dust, or other particles
that don't belong in your eye.
Tears also keep your eye from drying out.
You can see the opening of your tear duct if
you very gently pull down the inside corner
of your eye. When you see a tiny little hole,
you've found the tear duct.
Rods see in black, white and shades of gray;
they tell us the form or shape that something has. Rods can't tell the difference between colors, but they are super-sensitive,
allowing us to see when it's very dark.
Cones, on the other hand, sense color and
they need more light than rods to work well.
Cones are most helpful in normal or bright
light. The retina has three types of cones.
Each cone type is sensitive to one of three
different colors — red, green, or blue — to
help you see different ranges of color.
Rods and cones process the light to give you
the total picture. You're able to see that
your friend has a black coat and is wearing a
straw hat while he leads a brown horse.
What a great God we have! He has taken so
much care in making just one part of us to
work perfectly and meet our needs. If He
cares this much about our body (and He
does!), how much more does he care about
our soul?
In 2 Peter 3:9 we read:
The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
The same God who took much time in creating us, wants us to know Him better so
that we may spend eternity together.
By Robert McCallum, Ashland OH
(419) 962-1515
In this combination picture of before and after, Claudio Paulo Pinto pops his eyeballs out
of their sockets, in Belo Horizonte, 210 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday,
Sept 16, 2006.
Pinto can pop his eyeballs about 3/8 inch out of their sockets, a national record for eyepopping according to Rank Brasil, an organization modeled after the Guinness Book of
World Records that lists Brazilian records. Pinto says he's been doing this since he was
nine years old and "it doesn't hurt a bit."
The Amish Voice
6
A Good Attitude Will Change Your Life!
John is the kind of guy that is always in a
good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him
how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were
any better, I would be twins! If a friend was
having a bad day, John was there telling the
friend how to look on the positive side of the
situation.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad
mood. The bottom line: It's your choice
how you live your life.'
Seeing this style really made me
curious, so one day I went up and
asked him, 'I don't get it!' 'You
can't be a positive person all of the
time. How do you do it?'
Several years later, I heard
that he was involved in a
serious accident, falling
some 60 feet from a tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital
with rods placed in his back.
He replied, 'Each morning I wake up
and say to myself, you have two choices
today. You can choose to be in a good mood
or...you can choose to be in a bad mood, I
choose to be in a good mood.'
Each time something bad happens, I can
choose to be a victim or...I can choose to
learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining
or...I can point out the positive side of life. I
choose the positive side of life..
'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.
'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices.
When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react
to situations. You choose how people affect
your mood.
—Story continued from back page—
Who cast Jonah into the sea?
…sold Joseph to Egypt?
And Joseph said unto his brethren,
Come near to me, I pray you. And they
came near. And he said, I am Joseph
your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me
hither: for God did send me before you
to preserve life. … And God sent me
before you to preserve you a posterity
in the earth...So now it was not you
that sent me hither, but God…
—Genesis 45:4-8
Five chapters later, Joseph reminded his
brothers again that it was God who sent him
to Egypt, not them.
I reflected on what he said.. Soon thereafter, I left my place of employment to start
my own business. We lost touch, but I often
thought about John when I made a choice
about life instead of reacting to it.
I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be
twins...Wanna see my scars?' I declined to see his wounds, but I did
ask him what had gone through his
mind as the accident took place.
The first thing that went through
my mind was the well-being of my
soon-to-be born daughter,' he
replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground,
I remembered that I had two choices:
I could choose to live or....I could choose to
die. I chose to live.'
'Weren't you scared?
sciousness?' I asked.
Did you lose con-
But as for you *brothers+, ye thought evil
against me; but God meant it unto good,
to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save
much people alive. —Gen 50:20
And because Joseph understood the true
Sovereignty of God, he was also able to say to
his evil brothers, "Now therefore fear ye not: I
will nourish you, and your little ones. And he
comforted them, and spake kindly unto them"
—Gen 50:21
In Proverbs 16:9, God tells us very
clearly, “A man's heart deviseth *plans+
his way: but the LORD directeth
*establishes+ his steps.”
Are you going through a difficult time in your
life? Have you questioned whether God even
cares about you? Maybe, just maybe, the
reminder of what happened to Jonah and
He continued, '...the paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine.
But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expressions on
the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got
really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a
dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'
What did you do?' I asked. Well, there was a
big burly nurse shouting questions at me.
She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I
replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped
working as they waited for my reply. I took
a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity' Over
their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to
live.. Operate on me as if I am alive, not
dead.'
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors,
but also because of his amazing attitude....I
learned from him that every day we have
the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, can make all the
difference for each day!!!
The apostle Paul writes:
... for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. I know both how to be
abased *without+, and I know
how to abound: every where and
in all things I am instructed both to
be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and to suffer need. I can do
ALL things through Christ which
strengtheneth me.
—Philippians 4:11-13
Joseph will help you gain a new perspective
of your situation. I pray it does.
Just like Jonah understood who cast him into
the sea; just like Joseph understood who sold
him into Egypt, so we MUST understand who
it is we battle against each day.
For we *you and I+ wrestle not against
flesh and blood *other human beings+,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places. —Ephesians 6:12
The next verse tells us:
Wherefore, take onto you the whole
armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand. —Ephesians 3:13
The Amish Voice
7
The Keys of the Kingdom
— Jonathan Helmuth
And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth, shall be
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven. —Matt. 16:19
This scripture verse is one of the most misunderstood but important verses in the Bible. Jesus was giving his disciples keys. The
keys of the kingdom of heaven lock or unlock the mysteries of this realm to us.
The Catholic Church understood this verse
to mean that Jesus was giving Peter unequivocal authority to make decisions and
rules. Later the protestant church decided
he was not giving this right to Peter but he
was giving it to the church. I would like to
propose to you that he was doing neither.
The context of this scripture verse is in the
context of Jesus asking his disciples in verse
13: “Who do men say that I am?” They then
proceed to tell him that some were saying
he was John the Baptist and others were
saying Elias and others Jeremias or one of
the prophets. Then he asks them, “But who
do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered with, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God.”
Peter had just come into agreement with
heaven who Jesus really was. Jesus responded to this with, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Notice that the revelation was from
heaven toward earth or to Peter.
He then proceeds to tell him that his name
was Peter and that upon this rock he would
build his church, and the gates of hell would
not prevail against it. It is in this verse that
the Catholic Church gets the doctrine that
Jesus was ordaining Peter as the Vicar of
Christ. He is not saying this at all. He is saying that upon a person receiving a personal
revelation from the heavenly Father who
Jesus really is, he would build his church. He
was not just a prophet as others were saying
but indeed he was the Christ, the Messiah.
Even the gates of hell will never prevail or
hold out against it, (this revelation).
He then starts the verse of our text with the
word and which connects this verse with the
afore mentioned scripture verses.
The keys of the kingdom of heaven are
about us coming into agreement with the
heavenly realm not heaven coming into
agreement with us. If heaven would have
to come into agreement with us, Jesus
would have had to come into agreement
with what Peter said a few verses later. Jesus was showing his disciples that he would
be killed and raised from the dead a few
days later; but Peter rebuked him and said,
“Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be.”
Jesus had to rebuke Satan, who was using
Peter as a voice for himself.
Here is a better interpretation of this passage: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom
of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth
must be what is already bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth must be
what is already loosed in heaven.
Also, if this verse was saying that whatever
we decide on earth, heaven would have to
agree with us; the Lord’s prayer would have
said, “Thy kingdom come, our will be done in
heaven as on earth.” 1 John 5:14 would have
said, “ If we ask anything according to our
will he heareth us.”
We are like harps with our strings out of
tune. We must allow the Holy Spirit to bring
us in tune with the Word. When this is accomplished we will come into harmony with
God, bringing forth a sound that will resonate in the earth and in the heavens, bringing glory and honor to our king.
In John 5:19 Jesus says it this way:
Verily, verily I say unto you, The Son can
do nothing of himself, but what he seeth
the Father do: for what things soever he
doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” And in John 12:49 he says, “For I
have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what
I should speak. —John 5:19
So even Jesus didn’t do or say anything that
he first did not see or hear his heavenly Father doing or saying.
In conclusion: our Father wants to have a
relationship with his children. We must find
out through prayer and reading of the scriptures what his will is and come into alignment with it. Then the blessing of God will
be upon us and we will be a true representative of the kingdom of heaven.
Jonathan Helmuth — (607) 244-4168
4199 Old Rt. 14, Dundee, NY 14837
Has the Amish Voice been a blessing to you? If so, would you consider making a donation to help cover the postage and printing?
1.
Send Donation To: The Amish Voice, PO Box 128, Savannah OH 44874
2.
Reminder: Don’t forget to let us know if your address changes
The Amish Voice
8
Is Jesus Really God?
In these days the question arises more frequently than ever before. Recently when the
“World’s Squarest Teenagers’ was shown on
British TV, their visit to a mosque had the
statement from a Mosque leader to the
Amish teenagers that they didn’t believe
Jesus was the son of God, but a prophet.
When Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew
16:15, who they said He was, Peter replied:
And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said
unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon
Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father
which is in heaven. 18And I say also
unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and
the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. —Mathew 16:17-18
assure you of his official status. If for instance a doctor said he was a doctor, but
had no valid certificate, he would soon be
removed from his office. Someone higher up
has to say and certify the person is a doctor,
or we simply have an imposter. Who then,
can validate Jesus as the Son of God? Obviously, only the Father.
The first indication of a coming Messiah is
found in Genesis 3:15.
And I will put enmity between thee
and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy
head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The word “seed” is singular in the Genesis
rendition. One person is seed, whereas numerous people would be “seeds.”
Galatians 3; 16 says, Now to Abraham
and his seed were the promises made.
He saith not, And to seeds, as of many;
but as of one, And to thy seed, which
is Christ.
Here is the foundation rock of where the
church is anchored; that is the firm belief
that Jesus is Christ or Messiah, the son of
God. Without this truth, everything we know
about salvation falls apart. Our hope totally
lies in His ability to deal with our sin. Take
away this truth and the entire church’s
efforts at explaining salvation are rendered
useless. Jesus is only a prophet? That takes
out the foundation stone of Christianity.
During Old Testament times, there were
numerous predictions of a coming messiah.
Now when I was young, I was taught that
Jesus Christ is the son of God. My father and
grandfather before that believed it. That is a
good thing. However, that does not tell me
why that is true. What I aim to do is show
how any of us can find a base for that belief.
This is like a foreign nation announcing the
coming of an important person so we will
not miss him. To fit the criteria, the Promised Redeemer had to be born of a virgin.
We really believe Jesus was actually the son
of God. And we need to say so to an unbelieving world. To a Muslim, or an unbeliever
the statement seems far-fetched, even blasphemous. Indeed, the statements made by
Jesus were either true or totally offensive.
How can we tell the difference?
When a person comes to our country and
claims to be sent by the official government
of Germany, we need to check their credentials. This can be done by a phone call to the
foreign affairs department of Germany and
asking whether they sent so and so. Also,
Germany might have sent advance notice
that the diplomat was coming.
No person ever can by his own insistence
This is God telling Adam what is to come
Isaiah 7:14 says; Therefore the Lord
himself will give you a sign: The virgin
will be with child and will give birth to
a son, and will call him Immanuel.
This is God speaking through Isaiah
Luke chapter 1 tells us of the angel announcing the birth of Jesus to his mother Mary. Angels are messengers from
God. He said; “You will be with child and
give birth to a son, and you are to give
him the name Jesus. He will be great and
will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of
his father David, and he will reign over
the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom
will never end." This is God speaking
through angels.
Luke 3;21-22 says; Now when all the
people were baptized, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the
—Eli Stutzman
Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape
like a dove upon him, and a voice came
from heaven, which said, Thou art my
beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Here you have a voice (God) from heaven telling us Jesus is His son. This also
happened in the transfiguration.
Matthew 17 verses 5 says; While He yet
spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of
the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye him.
Now we have God Himself speaking to the
issue. Matthew was an apostle that was with
Jesus throughout his ministry. Mark also
records this in the same way in Mark 9; 2.
Mark was not an apostle, but lived in the
same time frame as Jesus. Matthew’s account is first hand experience, not hearsay.
Next we have Jesus himself saying to
Peter in Matthew 16;13-17: When Jesus
came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, "Who do people
say the Son of Man is?" They replied,
“Some say John the Baptist; others say
Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one
of the prophets.” But what about you?”
he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus
replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you
by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Then when Jesus was being tried before
Caiaphas, the high priest, he stated under
charge of oath the following:
Matthew 26;63b-64: ...But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to
him, “I charge you under oath by the
living God: Tell us if you are the Christ,
the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,”
Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In
the future you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty
One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Next issue of the Amish Voice: the reason
why this doctrine is so important.
Eli Stutzman — Ontario Canada
Phone: (519) 866-3737
The Amish Voice
9
The Forbidden Bible
1.
Did you know that the first English
translations of the Bible were banned?
were lead out and fastened to the stake by a
single chain bound around both their waists.
2.
Did you know that the first printed
copies of the New Testament in English
had to be printed in Germany and
smuggled into England in bales of
cotton?
The older man was Hugh Latimer, the Bishop
of Worcester, one of the most powerful
preachers of his day, and the other Nicolas
Ridley, the Bishop of London, respected as
one of the finest theologians in England.
3.
Did you know that the Bible translator
responsible for this was burned at the
stake for the crime of translating the
Scriptures into English?
More wood was carried and piled up around
their feet. Then it was set alight. As the
wood kindled and the flames began to rise,
Bishop Latimer encouraged his companion:
“Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play
the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust
shall never be put out.”
Bishop Stephen Bradley observed: “We are
in danger of forgetting truths for which
previous generations gave their lives.”
The Oxford Martyrs
On 16 October 1555, just outside the walls
of Balliol College, Oxford, a stout stake had
been driven into the ground with fagots of
firewood piled high at its base. Two men
Pennsylvania Deitsh Testament
If you would like to obtain a New Testament
with Psalms and Proverbs in Pennsylvania
Deitsh, they are
available for
$13.95 postpaid from the
Committee for Translation, 3864 Township Road 162, Sugarcreek, OH 44681. Phone 330-852-4663.
You do not need to send money ahead of time;
they will bill you with your order. Your local
Christian bookstore may also have them available.
In making this translation, the committee’s purpose was two-fold: 1) to adhere as closely as
possible to the Textus Receptus Greek text,
which is closely associated with Luther’s
(German) and the Authorized (English) version,
the two versions most commonly in use by the
Amish, and 2) to make the translation in fluent
everyday Pennsylvania Deitsh as it is spoken in
the home.
The translation procedures and principles used
in this translation are basically those employed
by the Wycliffe Bible Translators, and the exegesis closely follows their series of in-house
“Exegetical Helps”. The final manuscript was
checked for exegetical accuracy by New Testament Greek specialists from the Translation
Department of the Wycliffe Bible Translators.
Hundreds in the crowd watching the burning
of these bishops wept openly.
The place of their execution is marked today
by a small stone cross set in the ground in
Broad Street, while nearby in St. Giles stands
the imposing Martyrs Memorial, erected
300 years later in memory of these two men
and of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of
Canterbury, who 4 months after their execution suffered the same tortured death by
burning, in the same place, and for the same
reason.
Faith and Freedom
On one day in 1519 seven men and women
in Coventry
were burned
alive
for
teaching
their children
the
Lord’s
Prayer, the Ten
Commandments
and the Apostles
Creed – in English
Cherokee Legend
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee
Indian youth's rite of Passage?
removing the blindfold. It would be the only
way he could become a man!
His father takes him
into the forest,
blindfolds him and
leaves
him
alone. He is required to sit on a
stump the whole
night and not remove the blindfold
until the rays of the
morning sun shine
through it. He cannot cry out for help to
anyone.
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into
manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally
terrified. He can
hear all kinds of
noises. Wild beasts
must surely be all
around him . Maybe
even some human
might do him harm.
The wind blew the
grass and earth, and
shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never
It was then that he discovered his father
sitting on the stump next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone. Even when we
don't know it,
God is watching
over us, Sitting
on the stump
beside us. When
trouble comes,
all we have to
do is reach out to Him.
Moral of the story: Just because you can't
see God, doesn't mean He is not there.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
—2 Corinthians 5:7
The Amish Voice
10
Buggy Wrecks
Since May of 2010, we have been tracking some of the buggy accidents that have happened in the United states. Thus far, we have
read of a total of 18 accidents As you can see in the photos, it makes
you wonder how some of these people ever got out alive. In fact,
some of them did not make it out alive.
Here are some recent headlines:

November 28, 2010: Bombay NY — Several occupants of an
Amish buggy and the horse pulling it escaped injury Tuesday
afternoon when the buggy collided with a train Tuesday afternoon on County Route 2 in Bombay.

November 22, 2010: Diggins MO — One person is recovering
after a van slams into an Amish buggy. It happened Sunday
evening on Highway 60 near Diggins. Troopers say three people
in the buggy were turning onto NN and were waiting on the
passing train. The horse became spooked and lunged, knocking
the buggy over.

October 18, 2010: VIROQUA, Wis. -- Passengers in an Amish
wagon escape serious injury after an elderly man rear-ends the
wagon with his car.

October 4, 2010: ASHLAND OH — An Ashland girl was killed and
four family members were injured Sunday afternoon when their
buggy was hit from behind by a pickup driven by Christopher
Wells, of Greenwich. Clara Brenneman, 8, died from her injuries
at Ashland Samaritan Hospital.


September 21, 2010: Elkhart IN — Rescue crews feared the
worst Monday afternoon while responding to an accident after a
fast moving car rammed a horse and buggy.
September 15, 2010: Mt Vernon OH — An Amish man had only
a minor hand injury as the result of his buggy being hit this
morning about 9. The mishap was on Martinsburg Road, about a
mile north of Martinsburg, when a car came over a hillcrest, saw




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the buggy and attempted to swerve around it.
September 14, 2010: Wexford CO — Two people are in the hospital after two cars crashed into an Amish buggy.
September 1, 2010: Geauga County OH — Several people were
injured after an SUV crashed into an Amish buggy Wednesday
evening, officials said.
August 21, 2010: Blair WI — An Amish woman was killed and a
companion injured Thursday evening after a car slammed into
the back of a buggy, the second such collision to happen in
Trempealeau County this summer.
August 18, 2010: Clare County MI — Clare County sheriff's deputies are investigating a Wednesday morning collision between
an Amish buggy and a pickup truck. A man, woman and their
three children were inside at the time of the collision. Authorities said the five people were either thrown from the buggy or
jumped out following the impact.
July 21, 2010: Centerville OH — Two people suffered minor injuries Tuesday when a motorcycle collided with an Amish buggy in
Crawford County.
June 22, 2010: Eau Claire — Four people are injured when a
semi struck the back of an Amish horse and buggy.
June 10, 2010: Lancaster County — A collision between a pickup
truck and an Amish horse and buggy sent 4 people to area hospitals.
May 28, 2010: Millersburg OH — A box truck rear-ended an
Amish buggy, ejecting two women and an infant.
May 15, 2010: Mt Hope WI — Authorities in SW Wisconsin are
looking for the driver who struck an Amish buggy and fled, leaving one buggy passenger in the road with severe injuries.
May 12, 2010: Springfield, MO — Two men are reported injured
following a bizarre Missouri car accident involving two cars and
one buggy.
The Amish Voice
11
Mission to Amish People
PO Box 128
Savannah, OH 44874
Important Announcement!
2010 was a great year for us and the Amish Voice. We
appreciate the testimonies and financial gifts that people
have sent in to help with the cost of printing and mailing
this publication. The cost to mail one copy is $.45. It’s
always exciting to receive notes and phone calls from
people, asking if they can be added to the mailing list as
well.
We also recognize the fact and are well aware that some
who receive this publication are not interested in receiving it any longer. If you fit this description, please know
that we will remove your name from the active list, if you
let us know. All you have to do is write “REFUSED” on
the outside cover, put it back in your mailbox and it will
get mailed back to us. This let’s us know that you are no
longer interested in receiving it. Again, we have no desire
to anger or be a pest to anyone.
If you have just recently started receiving the Amish
Voice, I would encourage you to NOT form a negative
opinion too quickly. In life, you sometimes have to eat
the chicken and spit out the bones, meaning that you
may not always agree with everything.
We would like to encourage our readers to share their
thoughts and short articles with us. If asked, we would
be more then happy to keep your name and location
anonymous.
Non Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Ashland, Ohio
Permit No. 188
Who Cast Jonah into the Sea?
You often hear Christians talk about
how Jonah was cast into the sea by the
men who ran the ship. And, that of
course is backed up with the following
Scripture in Jonah 1:15.
Then said they unto him *Jonah+,
What shall we do unto thee, that
the sea may be calm unto us? ...
And he said unto them, Take me
up, and cast me forth into the
sea; so shall the sea be calm unto
you: ... So they took up Jonah,
and cast him forth into the sea:
and the sea ceased from her raging. —Jonah 1:11-15
However, Jonah gives us a SECOND
perspective, several verses later in
chapter 2.
I *Jonah+ cried by reason of mine
affliction unto the LORD, and He
heard me; ... For thou *Lord+ hast
cast me into the deep, in the
midst of the seas; and the floods
compassed me about: all Thy
billows and Thy waves passed
over me. —Jonah 2:2-3
—by Joe Keim
The answer, in case you didn't catch it,
God cast Jonah into the sea. It’s just
that He used human beings to do the
casting.
Who normally gets the blame for it?
The men on the ship do!
Oftentimes, such as in this situation, we
are so earthly minded that we forget
the fact that God is Sovereign (King of
kings and Lord of Lords). And as is so
often the case, when situations like
Jonah happen, we jump to immediate
conclusions and think we know all the
“why’s”, “how's” and where's” of
things. Chances are, if we could see
what God sees, we would often be
wrong.
Here is a second Bible story that often
gets taught with the wrong perspective
in mind:
As children (and even adults), we are
often taught that it was Joseph's evil
brothers that sold him to Egypt. But,
was it really the evil brothers that…
—turn to page 7 for the rest of the story —
The Amish Voice
12